


It Seems We’ve Hit the End of the Line

by AngelCuttingOnions



Series: Accidental Adoption of a Grown-Ass Man [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky goes by James, Bucky’s name is James, Fluff, Gen, Not A Fix-It, Parent Pepper Potts, Peter and Morgan Are Bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-02-27 16:46:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18743035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelCuttingOnions/pseuds/AngelCuttingOnions
Summary: Steve’s Bucky was broken, Steve’s Bucky was gone as soon as he’d fallen from that train. What was left was an empty shell, a stranger who happened to have Bucky’s face and Bucky’s memories.Someone easy for Steve to leave behind.





	1. Chapter 1

At some point Bucky left. Stark’s property was large, miles of trees and fields and no one around to try and talk to him. He was alone in his thoughts. He found a quiet field, a twenty minute walk away, down by the lake. If anyone cared enough, they could easily find him. Sam was back on that stupid bench, laughing and reminiscing with Steve. Sam deserved the shield. 

Bucky? He was broken, nothing but a weapon used by Hydra. Seventy years, being tortured, brainwashed, reset over and over until he lost the man he was before the fall. Seventy years where Steve knew every detail of what was happening, and he danced away with Peggy. Seventy years where his best friend, his _brother_ never even bothered to try.

If Steve could rewrite time to have his perfect family, his true love, his second chance, why was Bucky Barnes being rewritten in a Hydra facility while Steve taught his children to walk? It’s because he wasn’t worth it. Steve’s Bucky was broken, Steve’s Bucky was gone as soon as he’d fallen from that train. What was left was an empty shell, a stranger who happened to have Bucky’s face and Bucky’s memories. 

Bucky shifted so he was on his back, facing the sky. Clouds were slowly moving along, blocking the sun as they passed by. It was quiet, peaceful. He could hear the trickle of water nearby, felt the subtle breeze brush across his face. He felt something wet make its way down the side of face, catching on his ear. What was that? Oh. Tears. He hadn’t cried for a long time. The last time he remembered crying, ended with him being punished, and rewritten. 

More and more tears gathered in his eyes, slowly trailing down the sides of his face. He took a deep breath, and as he exhaled, he settled more into the grass surrounding him. Steve was at peace with his decision. It wasn’t for Bucky to question the man’s actions. Maybe Steve hadn’t told him what he was going to do, but some part of him knew. That little voice in the back of his head telling him that this was it. 

_The end of the line._

Water trickled, wind blew, leaves rustled, tears gathered and fell. Bucky was alone. Perhaps he had been for some time. But right then, that’s when it truly sunk in. This was the moment James decided to become his own person. If Steve could live a life without him, he had to life a life without Steve. No matter what abandonment, what hurt he felt, whatever brokenness came with it. 

James didn’t make the choice for himself, it was taken from him the moment Steve volunteered to bring the stones back to where they belonged. Although he didn’t make the choice, he was choosing not to let this be the moment he gave up. It was time for James Barnes to make a life of his own. He laughed. Silent laughter turned into gasping sobs. The tears seemed to be never ending. He sat himself up to wrap his arms around his knees as he shook. He felt something drape around his shoulders. 

He looked over his shoulder to see Pepper standing behind him. She tilted her head at the spot next to him with a questioning look in her eyes. He nodded in response. She lowered herself to the ground next to him, and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, tugging him towards her. The shaking slowly stopped, and his breathing evened out as he leaned on the woman. 

“He left me.”

“I know.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally planned to make this a series but for some reason I decided to make a second chapter to this. Of course there’s still gonna be a series so, keep an eye out. Not sure if there will be any relationships but so far I’m liking it with none.

_"He left me."_

_"I know."_

***

Pepper and James remained by the lake until James could speak without his voice cracking. He stood and stuck out his arm, the flesh and bone one, to help Pepper off the ground. She gave him a small smile and used the offered limb to pull herself up. "Who's the kid with?" James was curious, but not concerned. 

"Peter offered to look after her until I got back, but May wants him home after dinner." Pepper brushed the dirt and grass off her sweatpants. 

James tilted his head in the direction of the house. "Guess you better head back then." 

"Got somewhere to stay?" The woman had a kind look in her eyes as she asked the question. "We've got a couple spare rooms." 

"Wouldn't wanna be a bother ma'am." Pepper raised her eyebrows at that making James cough awkwardly. They stood there, James shifting under Pepper's gaze, and Pepper standing with a hand on her hip and a determined look on her face. 

"Come on. You can keep me company while I make dinner." 

"I-" Pepper looked ready to shut down anything the soldier tried to say to defy her. "Okay."

"And Bucky? Call me Pepper." 

He nodded and took a breath getting ready to make his own request. "Could you maybe... Call me James?" 

The look in her eyes softened, and she smiled and replied, "Of course, James." 

*** 

When they got back to the house, Peter was sitting on the ceiling holding a flashlight that was shining on Morgan like a spotlight while she spun in circles. Continually. It had been five minutes did the amount of energy this child had ever stop? 

"Pete? What are you doing on the ceiling?" Pepper called up to him. 

"I'm the light guy." He grinned, sounding thrilled. 

"And what exactly is Morgan doing?" 

"Not sure but she needed a light guy to hold the spotlight." Morgan kept spinning in circles. 

"Alrighty then. James and I are going to be in the kitchen, don't break anything, including yourselves."

"Okay Mrs. Stark!" 

"I've told you to call me Pepper."

"I'm sorry but I physically cannot do that." Pepper rolled her eyes at the boy and lead the man behind her into the kitchen. 

"I hope you're okay with pasta, because noodles are the only thing Morgan seems to want to eat lately, unless she's with Happy, then all she'll eat is cheeseburgers." Pepper said with a sad smile as she started pulling ingredients from cabinets and the fridge. 

"If it's food, I'll eat it. Ain't ever had the chance to be picky."

A small crash came from the living room, then the sound of a little voice saying "fuck!"

" _AHH!_ " The two adults heard a louder crash. "Where did you learn that word?! You're too pure for that language! No!" 

"Mr. Steve said it yesterday when he tripped!"

“I’m gonna physically fight Mr. Steve then. I don’t care if he’s elderly now.”

Pepper stared up at the ceiling and sighed. "Morgan you can only say that word once you can drive! James could you go peek in on the kids and see what that crash was?”

James nodded and poked his head into the room. "Looks like the kid fell off the ceiling. Nothing's broken. And Morgan tripped. Also nothing broken." 

"Those two are going to manage to blow the house up someday. Here, stir this would you?" 

***

Dinner was nice. Conversations were held mostly by Peter and Morgan, who both could talk a mile a minute. Pepper and James listened to everything they said, amused. Everything from school to what sort of computer or robot they were going to mess around with next, they meaning mostly Peter while Morgan made comments and asked questions and handed him tools. James was certain the girl was gonna take after her father. 

His breathing got a bit shaky just thinking about it. That little girl deserved to have her father with her, to guide her and protect her. She was clearly going to end up with a big mind and a giant imagination, losing her father, losing someone else who understood what that was like, it wasn’t fair. “Mr. Bucky!” The girls voice interrupted his train of thought. 

Pepper quickly corrected her when she called him that. “He actually wants to be called James now sweetheart. He’s going to stay with us for a little while too.” She smiled at her daughter. 

“Oh. Cool.” The girl scrunched her nose. “Mr. James! Can I look at your metal arm?” 

“Uh,” He looked over to see what her mother thought, getting a shrug in reply. “Sure I guess.” 

“Can you feel anything with it? Is it stronger than your not robot arm? Could you lift a car with it? Or a truck? Does it hurt? Can you take it off or is it stuck there?” The questions continued on through dinner and he answered them as well as he could, Peter chipping in his own questions every once in a while. 

Later he ended up with a five year old hanging onto his metal arm, trying her best to do chin-ups.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like it’s kinda weird that I gave Morgan such a bubbly personality even though her father recently died, but at the same time I’m someone who has had a lot of people pass away, and while of course I’d be heartbroken and sad about it, I still made jokes and had lots of energy when I was a kid. I’m definitely not going to ignore the fact that Tony died (in this fic at least, Endgame only happened for sad fanfic purposes okay) and there’s going to be grieving, but I needed this chapter to be just... fluffy. Sorry for the long note, hope you enjoyed.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like this is kinda all over the place, but then again I woke up at two in the morning, started writing this at three, and I’m posting it at five so sue me.


End file.
